Tag Archives: troops border

In an interview on BBC, Iraq Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari, said his nation would not accept a major Turkish invasion of its territory. He noted about 100,000 Turkish troops are massed on the border backed by planes and tanks and prepared to invade Iraq. He admitted the situation was serious, and was upset because the Turkish government had shown no concern about working with the Iraqi government to reduce tension. Zebari warned of “serious consequences” of a Turkish incursion onto the soil of Iraq. “That’s why the whole government of Iraq and the whole people of Iraq are united really not to see their sovereignty, their territorial integrity undermined by a friendly neighboring country.”

One can only wonder if there is underlying fear on the part of Iraq that Turkey might use the excuse of terrorist attacks by the PKK as an excuse to gain control of large areas of Kurdistan, a nation whose existence offers hope to Kurds in the region for having their own united nation. The Kurdish government has been casting eyes on oil in the Mosul region of Iraq, something that might also be of interest to the Turkish government. This entire situation could and should have been forseen by the Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld group when they launched the ill fated invasion of Iraq. It was a disaster waiting to happen. Based on Zebari’s comments that the threatened Turkish invasion has united all factions in Iraq, perhaps, the solution to violence in his country is finding a common enemy that will bring people together. The question is which enemy would unite Iraq and which would not result in extensive violence?